Switch-shifter.



mannose never, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

l swrroH-snnrrsn.

Specification of Lettera Patent.

Ptented Sept. 21 191 5.

'iippiimmn inea august su. i914'. seriaiivo. sanos.

To all whom -t may eonccrmn Be it known that I, AamaoseMcVpr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilmington. in the county of New Castle andV State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Shifters. of which the following is a specification.

M v invention relates to means for switchw ing street railway cars, and the main object thereof is to provide a device which will accomplish this result from thevfront platform of a car and be under the control of the inotorman.

. A further object is to provide such a device which is normally out of o rative position, but whichmay be place irkoperative position by the motormans foot.-" d I A further object is to provide a foot whereby the motorman may, atuwill t row a switch to the rightortonthefleft'; 'and further objects are to provide such devices which are sim le inI construction and use, readily installes, composed of few. parts not likely to get out of order to require repair, and comparatively inex ensive. p,

My invention is fu y described lin the following specification, of which'the accomanyin drawingsform a part,-.m .which ike re crence characters are used to defsig.

nate like parts in each of the views, and in which l-`i nrc 1 is a side elevation of the front plat orm of a surface car provided with my `invention, partly in section and also showing the track apparatus; i 2 is a lan view, taken on the line 2-2 o Fi 1, o the mechanism for one rail of a rai way; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, in plan, of the track a paratiis, with the coversl removed; and I ig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of ign the drawings forming a part of this application I have shown a present pre` ferred form of embodiment of my invention, comprising a section of a car 5 having a platform 6 for the motorman, the car apparatus 7, and the track apparatus 8 and 9.

Slidably mounted in suitable hangers beneath the latforrn 6 is a transverse shaft 10 upon w iich is secured a frame 11 carryin counterweights 12, a spring 13 for maintaining the saine in ap roximately horizontal position, a foot pc al 14 for depressing the same, and a roller 15` at the'lower, forward, end thereof. Pivoted beneathv the platform 6, at 16, is a lever 17 which carries a footi'pedalY 18 at the forward end thereof operable in a slot-19 in said platform, and the rear end 0f which iS pivotully connected with a pin 20 secured on the shaft. 10. move` ment of saidy edal 18 in either direction sliding the sai shaft and frame in a corresponding direction.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a guide rail 21arranged between the railway rails, preferably centrally thereof, which is ranched by means of a central partition 22 into two assages 23 and 24, the'fioor of the guide rai being depressed in the positions of said passa s, as shown at 25, Fig. 1, and in each of t ese depressions is a dog 26 and 27, respectively, pivoted on a rod 28 in a box or housing 29 buried below the surface of the railway, each dog carrying an arm 30 and 31, res ctively, in turn connected, pivotally, wit corresponding' rods 32 and 33 which are forwardly extended through a conduit 34 into a casin l and pvotally connected with corresponding bellcrank levers 36 and 37 in `turn pivotcd at 38 and 39, respectively, within the casing 35. Pivoted at 40, in said casing 35, between the pivots 38 and 39, is a lever 41 provided v with oppositelydirected arms 42 and 43,

and with a forwardly directed, slotted, portion 44 having a pin 45 slidable therein and carried by a rod 46 in pivotal connection with the switch 47 of the rails 48, only one rail with its branch and switch being illustrated, although the arrangement shown may be duplicated at the opposite side of the railway at any point for switching the car to the left instead of to the right as illustrated. As the car approaches a switch, the guide rail 21 bein provided for a predetermined dstance iefore a switch is reached, the motorman depresses thel pedal 14 whereby the rollei` 15 bears on the guide rail 21 assuming that he does not want to take the switch but o right along on the main track, he then orces the pedal 16 to the ri ht which has the effect of moving the ro er 15 to the left to enter the passage l23,.and in which assage he strikes the dog 26 which, being orced downwardly by the roller 15, moves the bell-crank 3G rearwardly and inwardly, thereby striking the arm 42 of the lever 41 and forcing this lever to the right, and, through the medium of the rod 46, also moving the switch 47 to the right, and the main line is open. Had

performed, with 'the diii'erence,- however, that he would have slid the frame 1 1 and roller 15 to the right, andA this 'would have actuated the dog 2T. and`bellcrank'- 37.to throw the lever :il and 's\vitch,t0 the left, and the car would then`leave the mainline. lt will thus be seen that the switching of a car is directly under the controlofthe motoi man and`l while I have illustratedbnt one `witch` it will he obvious tliattlie'lsame ap'- paratus may he applied to anynnmbcr of switches` and on either side of the car, and the car apparatus is only actuated when the motorman sees that the switch is not properlv set. v' i,

While i have shown certain structural details` ity will he evident that I amnet limited thereto, hat ma` make changes there.- over, within the scope of the. followin claims, without departing from thespirlt of my invention, or sacrificing its advantages. n

Ihn-ing fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: .p 1. A switch operating device, comprising a pivoted switch, a leverconnected thereto, a hell-ciank lever on each side of said lever adapted to hear on the respective side thereof, a .tripping do' in operative connection with each heini-crank lever, said switch and lever being movable independently of `said bell-,crank levers, and means carried by a car for tripping either of said dogsto correspondingly move said switch.

2. A switch operating device, comprising apivoted switch, a lever connected thereto, a bell-crank lever on each side of said lever `adapted to bear. on the respective side thereof` said lever beinf1r movah e independently of` said bell-cran( levers, a tripping dog in operative connection. with each vellcrank lever,l means for maintaining said hell-cranks and dogs in normal positions, and nieanscarried byja car for tripping either of said dogs to`correspondingly move said switch.l

3. A switch operating device, comprising a pivoted switch,` a lever connected thereto` a bcllcrank lever lon'each side of said lever adapted to bear' on the respective side thereof. a tripping do" in operative connection with each be -crank lever` said switch bein movable independently of said hell-crank hivers, means carried b v a ear for tripping either of said dogs to correspondingly move said switch, and means for guiding said'tripping means to the respective' dogs, n

In testimonyl 'whereofV I'have signed mv name' to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, 'AMBROSE MCVEY.

lWitnesses y 1 ,l lTiroir/s S. Lnwxs, Jo/HN Dennison.

Copies of this patent may be ohtaineder ive cents esuli,l by tfddreutng the f Uemmmoner of Patents,

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